Bravo debuts its first scripted series, “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” on Tuesday (11 p.m. locally), and the result is surprisingly strong: well-crafted, well-cast, sometimes clever and ultimately in line with the network’s “Real Housewives” demographic needs. It’s a solid effort that does what it’s supposed to — which isn’t a recommendation, only affirmation that the suits met their mark.

The premise is adapted from the Vicki Iovine book series. Lisa Edelstein (“House”) plays self-help guru Abby McCarthy whose own marriage is falling apart while she’s supposed to be pushing a new book on happy-ever-after matrimony. Paul Adelstein portrays her husband Jake, who in his mid-life crisis is dating an actress from the CW. (“Does she play a parent?” Abby demands.)

Single at 40! So many jokes about aging women and aging women’s sagging parts, so many depressing scenes of Abby and her divorced pals Lyla (Janeane Garofalo) and Phoebe (Beau Garrett), trading snappy asides. The scenes between Abby and Jake are more intriguing because the allow the characters to breathe. The battle of the sexes ultimately makes for a funnier topic than women’s battles with their own bodies.

Marti Noxon has created and written a drama (dramedy?) that feels like it might run for years. That’s a compliment, if not quite a recommendation.

The inspiration for “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce” on Bravo? Suffice to say celebrated executive producer Marti Noxon made her last alimony payment today, after a divorce five years ago.

“It’s not autobiographical,” Noxon (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) said, but it borrows from the “life lessons” she’s picked up through the experience.

The 13-episode first season is an exploration of sexual politics.

Lisa Edelstein (“House”) stars as Abby McCarthy with Paul Adelstein (“Private Practice”), as a couple who love each other and love their kids, but can’t stand to be in the same room together.

As previously reported, Laverne Cox (“Orange is the New Black”) will guest star.

Noxon initially had a half-hour in mind for Showtime, but the series was picked up as a full hour by Bravo as the network’s first scripted show. “It did change the DNA of the stories, we had room for more characters,” she said. Initially, she didn’t realize how much the story would tilt toward the husband in the first season.

The clips are encouraging, the interview session was promising. All in all, if Noxon can help Bravo launch a scripted series, maybe the network can wean itself from all the rich-people-behaving-badly “reality” shows.

He has said he intends to do a fifth season, also for Netflix, and that he would like a Bluth family movie to end up on the streaming service as well.

Among the issues covered by Lipton, according to Bravo: Hurwitz’s real-life inspiration for the Banana Stand and the personal meaning behind the name “Maeby”; the cast members’ favorite season 4 moments, and the origins of Portia de Rossi’s name.

“Top Chef” goes to New Orleans for season 11, with Denver chef Travis Masar in the running. The season premiere is Oct. 2 on Bravo.

Maser, 27, is a native Coloradan (originally from La Junta but, after years in Denver, currently living in Philadephia). He was formerly a chef at local eateries Aria and Uncle. He got his B.A. in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales.

Chef Travis Masar was born and raised in Southeast Colorado where his exposure to food was mainly through his family and upbringing. Growing up in Colorado, he gained experience hunting wild game such as elk, deer, and antelope and he honed his craft by helping his family butcher whole pigs and beef. He has traveled and cooked all over the world including Alaska, Wales, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Czech Republic, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Over the last 5 years, Travis has focused on traditional Asian cuisine and says the food he cooks represents grandmothers all over the world.

“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” has something the rest of the catty, so-called reality shows about ostentatious wealth don’t have. Bravo’s RHOBH has Taylor Armstrong and her all-too-real revelations of domestic violence.

Now that she’s aired her story in primetime, withstood the pain of husband Russell’s suicide last summer and written a book, “Hiding From Reality,” she’s tackling her next chapter. As a newly minted celebrity spokeswoman for an advocacy group, Armstrong will deliver the keynote speech to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in Denver on Sunday.

She aims to “spread the word so people in dangerous relationships know there are resources,” Armstrong said by phone from Los Angeles, “so women don’t run past red flags like I did.”

Bravo’s “Top Chef” is looking for a few good kitchen artistes for season 10. An open casting call will be held Wednesday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. at Linger, 2030 W. 30th Ave.

The line of would-be chef-testants is likely to stretch for blocks through the Highland neighborhood.

The network outlines the requirements here.
No knives necessary, they say.

“Chefs with a passion for food, ingenuity, a thorough knowledge of cooking techniques and trends and oodles of charisma are what we’re looking for. We want talented, experienced chefs with that flare and hunger that puts you over the top.
Download and fill out the application HERE, make your video and make sure we receive both by March 2, 2012 at midnight ET, at the latest.”

Darren Star (“Sex and the City”) will have a hand in producing a scripted drama for Bravo, the centerpiece of a new night of programming for the cable network that has shown steady growth during a time of economic distress for most of the industry. Claiming its best year ever in terms of revenue and ratings, Bravo announced the new night will boost its original programming total by 20 percent. Shows in development include dance and food competition “reality” series, a docu-series following choreographer Mia Michaels (“So You Think You Can Dance”) and the Star hour.
From NBC Universal’s description:

“I’M NOT MYSELF THESE DAYS”
Inspired by the novel of the same name, this one-hour scripted musical drama follows Josh, who by day is a straight, married, affluent power broker living in New York, but leads a double life as a drag queen at night. Darren Star Productions is developing this scripted series for Bravo, with Sri Rao and Emily Branden penning the script and Darren Star (“Sex and the City,” and the original “Melrose Place” and “Beverly Hills 90210″), attached as executive producer.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.